Mumbai Marines eke out a 1-0 win over Bhopal Badshahs

Mumbai Marines play against Bhopal Badshahs in WSH.Mumbai Marines won by 1-0. (TOI Photo)
MUMBAI: There were 12 goals scored in the first match of the World Series Hockey in Mumbai on Thursday. The high number of goals in the game between hosts Mumbai Marines and Pune Strykers helped that game become entertaining.

On Friday though, it was a different story at the Mumbai Hockey Association ground. The quality of hockey dished out during the match between Mumbai Marines and Bhopal Badshahs was scrappy. In the end, the hosts scraped through 1-0. The only goal scored in the match, came in the 9th minute of the second quarter and it was struck by Aussie Troy Sutherland.

Thereafter, it was a tale of missed opportunities from both outfits. The other glaring issue was the fact that only eight short corners were earned by the either team. Three went to the hosts and five went in the favour of the Badshahs. None of the eight though were converted.

“In the last match against Strykers, we conceded as many as five goals,” said Marines skipper Adrian D’Souza. And added: “But we had a long discussion and the outcome thereafter was to stay focused on the defense. I am really happy in the manner our defense thwarted the short corners that came their (Bhopal Badshahs) way.”

For his part, Badshahs’ coach Vasudevan Baskaran didn’t seem perturbed by the defeat. “We had a few injuries and I also tried out a few combinations. So, overall a 1-0 defeat is not all that bad,” Baskaran said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Wizard skipper Rajpal Singh led from the front as they downed the fighting Karnataka Lions 3-2 for a winning start in the World Series Hockey in New Delhi. It seemed all but over for Lions after the second quarters when they were trailing 2-0, but the team led by veteran Arjun Halappa rallied superbly to level the score, their first goal coming on a pass from veteran Dhanraj Pillay. However, Rajpal sealed the issue with a fine field goal in the dying minutes.